Higher line speed in young chicken slaughter establishments does not predict increased Salmonella contamination risks.

Do faster slaughter line speeds for young chickens increase risk of Salmonella contamination? We analyze data collected in 2018-2019 from 97 slaughter establishments processing young chickens to examine the extent to which differences in slaughter line speeds across establishments operating under the same inspection system explain observed differences in their microbial quality, specifically frequencies of positive Salmonella samples. A variety of off-the-shelf statistical and machine learning techniques applied to the data to identify and visualize correlations and potential causal relationships among variables showed that the presence of Salmonella or other indicators of process control, such as noncompliance records for regulations associated with process control and food safety, are not significantly increased in establishments with higher line speeds (e.g., above 140 birds per min) compared with establishments with lower line speeds when establishments are operating under the conditions present in this study. This included some establishments operating under specific criteria to obtain a waiver for line speed. A null hypothesis advanced over 30 yr ago by the National Research Council that increased line speeds result in a product that is not contaminated more often than before line speeds were increased, appears to be fully consistent with these recent data.

Causas de perdas em abatedouro de frango de corte relacionadas ao manejo pré-abate / Causes of losses and euthanasia of broilers in emergency poultry slaughterhouse related to pre-slaughter management

Os mercados importadores de carne de frango brasileira estão se tornando cada vez mais exigentes em termos de adesão aos princípios do bem-estar animal na criação e abate dos frangos. Um dos principais problemas relacionados ao bem-estar animal na cadeia de produção do frango de corte é o manejo pré-abate. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi observar as principais causas de perdas e eliminação dos frangos de corte no abate emergencial em um abatedouro comercial e discutir possíveis formas de solucioná-las. Para tanto, foram implantados ábacos nas três linhas de abate ao lado do local da pendura das aves e registrado o número de aves que foram eliminadas ou estavam mortas, durante 10 dias, nos dois turnos de abate em um abatedouro comercial. Foram abatidas no experimento 4.563.293 aves, sendo que o total de perdas foi de 14.046 aves (0,3%). A mortalidade no transporte e/ou galpão de espera foi a principal causa de eliminação no abate emergencial (80,56%), seguida por aves pequenas refugos (19,1%), doentes injuriadas (0,18%) e lesionadas (0,11%). Conclui-se que para reduzir as perdas no pré-abate, os esforços devem ser direcionados principalmente na logística de transporte, visando assim à lucratividade do produto, pautado no contexto atual de bem-estar animal.

Brazilian chicken import markets are becoming increasingly demanding in terms of adhering to the principles of animal welfare in raising and slaughtering chicken. Thus, adapting the poultry to such requirements requires preslaughter failures control, that are main animal welfare problems in broiler production is preslaughter management. Therefore, the objective of this study wasto establish and quantify the main causes of losses related to pre-slaughter management in a commercial chicken slaughterhouse.In this way, abacuses were implanted next to the hanging in the three slaughter lines and the number of broilers eliminated or that were death on arrivals was recorded, for 10 days, in both slaughter shifts. 4.563.293 broilers were slaughtered in the experiment and the total number of boilers eliminated in the emergency slaughter were 14.039 birds (0.3%). The death on arrivals was the leading cause of elimination in emergency slaughter (80.56%), followed by small broilers (19.1%), injured broilers (0.18%) and fractured broilers (0.11%). It is concluded that to reduce preslaughter losses, efforts should be directed mainly to transport logistics andimprovements in the waiting shed, aiming to decrease mortality losses in this stage.

Enzymatic removal of dags from livestock: an agricultural application of enzyme technology.

The effective removal of dags (manure balls) from cattle, sheep and goats is a significant issue for the livestock industry. Dags are hard recalcitrant deposits composed of materials, such as faeces, hair, soil, urine, feed and straw, and attach to the animal through the hair rather than the skin. Dags build up during wet periods, especially on long haired breeds, and can weigh up to 40 kg per animal for cattle. Dag removal prior to slaughter reduces the risk of microbial meat contamination and damage to the hide during leather processing. Existing removal methods include hair trimming or extensive hose washing that can result in stress to the animal and increased costs. An alternative solution is the application of enzyme formulations that target specific components of the dag so they are more easily removed by washing. Enzymes are already used in other cleaning applications and are proven for the breakdown of materials such as lignocellulose, protein or starch that are found in dags. This mini-review discusses the challenges of current dag removal methods and the state of the art and feasibility of applying enzyme formulations for the effective removal of dags. Although enzyme formulations are yet to be tested in large-scale cattle trials and questions remain regarding how they would be cost-effectively applied to live animals, the results at laboratory scale suggest further research is warranted. Overall, enzymes present an environmentally friendly solution to the high costs and animal welfare issues of current dag removal methods through significant reductions in cleaning time and water use. KEY POINTS: • Dag formation on livestock is a major issue for industry and for animal welfare. • Current methods are costly and challenging for operators and the animal. • Enzymes can degrade dag components to aid release with keratinases showing promise. • Dag removal needs to be field tested, and positive business cases must be generated.

Pre-slaughter stunning: what's on the horizon?

Josh Loeb discusses the latest developments in stunning methods, which have the potential to improve animal welfare.